Weekend Magic: 3/27-3/29

Last weekend Star City Games brought us two major events: the Invitational and SCG Richmond. The Invitational featured Standard and Legacy action while Richmond featured Standard as the main event with a side of Modern and Legacy. Let’s take a look and see how Dragons of Tarkir has shaken up the format.

Star City Games Invitational (Richmond, USA)

Format – Standard, Legacy

Standard Top 8  Decklists

Deck Finish Player
Abzan Control 1st Jacob Wilson
Sultai Reanimator 2nd Reid Duke
Abzan Aggro 3rd Jason Coleman
G/W Devotion 4th Chris Andersen
Mono-Red Aggro 5th Michael Braverman
Jeskai Tokens 6th Todd Anderson
Abzan Control 7th Joe Bass
R/G Aggro 8th Ross Merriam

Legacy Top 8 Decklists

Deck Finish Player
Temur Delver 1st Jacob Wilson
Miracles 2nd Reid Duke
Lands 3rd Jason Coleman
Esper Thopter Foundry 4th Chris Andersen
Shardless Sultai 5th Michael Braverman
Infect 6th Todd Anderson
Miracles 7th Joe Bass
Sultai Delver 8th Ross Merriam

Standard Results

Jacob Wilson’s Standard deck featured two [card]Sidisi, Undead Vizier[/card] main deck. This new Sidisi seems pretty good in a control build. In Abzan, she can exploit Elspeth tokens and [card]Satyr Wayfinder[/card]s in order to find the particular card that the deck’s pilot needs at that moment. Also being a 4/6 with deathtouch means that she is really hard to deal with. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of Sidisi in Standard over the next few months, along with the all the action she is sure to see at the Commander tables.

Reid Duke’s Standard deck also featured two undead versions of Sidisi along with a single copy of [card]Dragonlord Silumgar[/card] in the main deck. [card]Sidisi, Brood Tyrant[/card] was one of the deck’s main card advantage engines and was a key component to Reid’s Standard success that weekend. Some other interesting cards from the deck included one [card]Torrent Elemental[/card] and one [card]Silumgar, the Drifting Death[/card].

Rounding out the rest of the Standard decks, some cards to to prepare to play against in future tournaments include:

  • [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card], which appeared in Abzan Aggro and G/W Devotion. This was the only command from Dragons of Tarkir to appear in the Top 8 decks.
  • [card]Deathmist Raptor[/card], which of course slotted nicely as a full playset into the G/W Devotion deck based around Mastery of the Unseen
  • [card]Zurgo Bellstriker[/card], which was featured a playset in Mono-Red Aggro despite being legendary.
    • [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card] also made a Standard appearance in this deck as a playset.
    • I also didn’t think [card]Lightning Striker[/card] would get played, but the Dash ability on the creature can’t be underestimated. I’m sure there were plenty of random blowouts that happened when Berserker came down and stomped face.
  • [card]Anticipate[/card] saw play in Jeskai Tokens, to help the deck find [card]Jeskai Ascendancy[/card] faster
  • [card]ThunderBreak Regent[/card] and [card]Surrak, the Hunt Caller[/card] slotted nicely into R/G Aggro. [card]Crater’s Claws[/card] is still being played as a playset in this deck, and the two copies of [card]Draconic Roar[/card] can do a ton of work if you’re still holding dragons in your hand as you cast it.

Legacy Results

Dragons of Tarkir didn’t quite have the impact it made on Standard. In fact, there weren’t any cards from Dragons in the Legacy results. [card]Dig Through Time[/card] is now seeing plenty of play without [card]Treasure Cruise[/card] in the format anymore.

Temur Delve and Miracles are run-of-the-mill decks at this point, and Wilson’s and Duke’s lists aren’t innovative in any way. [card]Dig Through Time[/card] is now a three-of in Miracles in order to help sift through the deck faster to get the lockdown pieces.

Moving onto Lands, it is a unique deck but doesn’t have much in the way of innovation either. Some of the key cards to the deck include the [card]Thespian’s Stage[/card] / [card]Dark Depths[/card] combo and the [card]Grove the Burnwillows[/card] / [card]Punishing Fire[/card] synergy in order to control the board while you’re setting up the more deadly finisher.

Esper Thopter Foundry is a deck that has been seen before but hasn’t put up results in a while. Now that the format has slowed down a bit more after the post Cruise banning, more decks that can really take advantage of the card selection [card]Dig Through Time[/card] offers are popping up. This deck features a full playset of [card]Dig Through Time[/card] and plays enablers like [card]Mental Note[/card] and [card]Thought Scour[/card] to help cast the Dig’s quicker. At it’s heart, this deck is a control deck and wins by using the [card]Sword of the Meek[/card] / [card]Thopter Foundry[/card] combo to generate tons of 1/1 flyers and gain enough life survive until they can kill you. Certainly an interesting deck that harkens back to the old [card]Vampire Hexmage[/card] / [card]Dark Depths[/card] / [card]Thopter Foundry[/card] / [card]Sword of the Meek[/card] / [card]Gifts Ungiven[/card] extended deck.

The rest of the Legacy Top 8 doesn’t offer us anything new to the format. We still see [card]Tasigur, the Golden Fang[/card] making an appearance here and there in order to generate card advantage but nothing else of note.

Star City Games Open – Standard (Richmond, USA)

Decklists

Deck Finish Player Deck Finish Player
Jeskai Heroic 1st Joe Lossett R/G Aggro 9th Ryan Macedo
Abzan Aggro 2nd Hunter Nance Abzan Aggro 10th Drew Cranfill
R/G Aggro 3rd Dan Jessup G/R Devotion 11th Joseph Eckert
G/R Monsters 4th Chas Tanner Jeskai Tokens 12th Patrick Tierney
G/W Devotion 5th David Fulk Ascendancy Combo 13th Zach Jesse
Jeskai Tokens 6th Alex Bianchi G/W Devotion 14th Scott Robins
Jeskai Aggro 7th Noah Walker Jeskai Aggro 15th Derek Campbell
R/G Aggro 8th Trevor Bumgardner Mono-Red Aggro 16th Sean Handy

The Standard Open at Richmond continues to offer us insight into the new format. I’ve crunched the numbers from the Top 16 to see which cards, by rarity, are seeing the most play (at least at this event).

 

Mythic Rare12 [card]Whisperwood Elemental[/card]

12 [card]Polukranos, World Eater[/card]

9 [card]Soulfire Grand Master[/card]

8 [card]Stormbreath Dragon[/card]

7 [card]Anafenza, the Foremost[/card]

5 [card]Deathmist Raptor[/card]***

4 [card]Warden of the First Tree[/card]

4 [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card]

2 [card]Xenagos, the Reveler[/card]

2 [card]Wingmate Roc[/card]

2 [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card]

2 [card]Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker[/card]

2 [card]Dragonlord Atarka[/card]***

1 [card]Soul of Theros[/card]

1 [card]Sorin, Solemn Visitor[/card]

1 [card]Nissa, Worldwaker[/card]

Rare28 [card]Goblin Rabblemaster[/card]

25 [card]Mana Confluence[/card]

20 [card]Wooded Foothills[/card]

19 [card]Flooded Strand[/card]

16 [card]Windswept Heath[/card]

16 [card]Sylvan Caryatid[/card]

15 [card]Temple of Triumph[/card]

15 [card]Battlefield Forge[/card]

14 [card]Temple of Abandon[/card]

13 [card]Boon Satyr[/card]

12 [card]Shivan Reef[/card]

12 [card]Rattleclaw Mystic[/card]

12 [card]Nykthos, Shrine to Ny[/card]

12 [card]Jeskai Ascendancy[/card]

10 [card]Temple of Epiphany[/card]

9 [card]Temple of Plenty[/card]

8 [card]Thunderbreak Regent[/card]***

8 [card]Surrak, the Hunt Caller[/card]***

8 [card]Siege Rhino[/card]

8 [card]Rakshasa Deathdealer[/card]

8 [card]Mantis Rider[/card]

8 [card]Fleecemane Lion[/card]

8 [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card]***

8 [card]Crater’s Claws[/card]

8 [card]Courser of Kruphi[/card]

8 [card]Atarka’s Command[/card]***

7 [card]Zurgo Bellstriker[/card]***

7 [card]Mastery of the Unseen[/card]

7 [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card]

6 [card]Temple of Silence[/card]

6 [card]Temple of Enlightenment[/card]

6 [card]Genesis Hydra[/card]

6 [card]Dig Through Time[/card]

5 [card]Llanowar Wastes[/card]

5 [card]Den Protector[/card]***

5 [card]Caves of Koilos[/card]

4 [card]Outpost Siege[/card]

4 [card]Hero of Iroas[/card]

3 [card]Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth[/card]

3 [card]Twinflame[/card]

3 [card]Temple of Mystery[/card]

3 [card]Temple of Malady[/card]

3 [card]Secure the Wastes[/card]***

2 [card]Yavimaya Coast[/card]

2 [card]Thoughtseize[/card]

2 [card]End Hostilities[/card]

2 [card]Collected Company[/card]***

2 [card]Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit[/card]

1 [card]Tasigur, the Golden Fang[/card]

1 [card]Hornet Queen[/card]

1 [card]Hidden Dragonslayer[/card]***

1 [card]Haven of the Spirit Dragon[/card]***

1 [card]Firedrinker Satyr[/card]

Uncommon28 [card]Stoke the Flames[/card]

21 [card]Wild Slash[/card]

17 [card]Mystic Monastery[/card]

16 [card]Hordeling Outburst[/card]

12 [card]Monastery Swiftspear[/card]

11 [card]Valorous Stance[/card]

11 [card]Seeker of the Way[/card]

8 [card]Sandsteppe Citadel[/card]

6 [card]Searing Blood[/card]

6 [card]Heir of the Wilds[/card]

4 [card]Ordeal of Thassa[/card]

4 [card]Favored Hoplite[/card]

4 [card]Draconic Roar[/card]***

4 [card]Battlewise Hoplite[/card]

3 [card]Frontier Bivouac[/card]

3 [card]Bile Blight[/card]

2 [card]Ultimate Price[/card]***

2 [card]Temur Sabertooth[/card]

2 [card]Roast[/card]***

2 [card]Ordeal of Heliod[/card]

2 [card]Lightning Berserker[/card]***

2 [card]Briber’s Purse[/card]

2 [card]Banishing Light[/card]

2 [card]Abzan Charm[/card]

1 [card]Murderous Cut[/card]

1 [card]Kiora’s Follower[/card]

1 [card]Jeskai Charm[/card]

1 [card]Frenzied Goblin[/card]

Common20 [card]Lightning Strike[/card]

20 [card]Elvish Mystic[/card]

13 [card]Anticipate[/card]***

12 [card]Foundry Street Denizen[/card]

12 [card]Dragon Fodder[/card]***

10 [card]Treasure Cruise[/card]

9 [card]Voyaging Satyr[/card]

6 [card]Raise the Alarm[/card]

5 [card]Mardu Scout[/card]

4 [card]Temur Battle Rage[/card]

4 [card]Retraction Helix[/card]

4 [card]Gods Willing[/card]

4 [card]Goblin Heelcutter[/card]

4 [card]Dragon Mantle[/card]

4 [card]Defiant Strike[/card]

3 [card]Commune with the Gods[/card]

3 [card]Collateral Damage[/card]

3 [card]Center Soul[/card]***

3 [card]Blossoming Sands[/card]

2 [card]Tormenting Voice[/card]

2 [card]Rugged Highlands[/card]

1 [card]Negate[/card]

1 [card]Lagonna-Band Trailblazer[/card]

Sideboard15 [card]Glare of Heresy[/card]

14 [card]Roast[/card]***

13 [card]Disdainful Stroke[/card]

10 [card]Nissa, Worldwaker[/card]

8 [card]Wild Slash[/card]

8 [card]Valorous Stance[/card]

8 [card]Destructive Revelry[/card]

8 [card]Arc Lightning[/card]

7 [card]Xenagos, the Reveler[/card]

7 [card]Negate[/card]

7 [card]Hornet Nest[/card]

7 [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card]

6 [card]Searing Blood[/card]

6 [card]Fleecemane Lion[/card]

5 [card]Thoughtseize[/card]

5 [card]Setessan Tactics[/card]

5 [card]Magmatic Chasm[/card]***

5 [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card]

4 [card]Seismic Rupture[/card]***

4 [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card]

4 [card]Arbor Colossus[/card]

4 [card]Anger of the Gods[/card]

3 [card]Treasure Cruise[/card]

3 [card]Swan Song[/card]

3 [card]Sorin, Solemn Visitor[/card]

3 [card]Rending Volley[/card]***

3 [card]Reclamation Sage[/card]

3 [card]Ojutai Exemplars[/card]***

3 [card]Nylea’s Disciple[/card]

3 [card]Duress[/card]

3 [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card]

3 [card]Dragonlord Ojutai[/card]***

3 [card]Display of Dominance[/card]***

3 [card]Bile Blight[/card]

2 [card]Ultimate Price[/card]***

2 [card]Stubborn Denial[/card]

2 [card]Scouring Sands[/card]

2 [card]Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker[/card]

2 [card]Prognostic Sphinx[/card]

2 [card]Ordeal of Heliod[/card]

2 [card]Monastery Siege[/card]

2 [card]Mastery of the Unseen[/card]

2 [card]Magma Spray[/card]

2 [card]Hammer of Purphoros[/card]

2 [card]End Hostilities[/card]

2 [card]Cloudform[/card]

2 [card]Ainok Survivalist[/card]***

2 [card]Abzan Advantage[/card]

1 [card]Vaultbreaker[/card]

1 [card]Temple of Triumph[/card]

1 [card]Tasigur, the Golden Fang[/card]

1 [card]Outpost Siege[/card]

1 [card]Nylea, God of the Hunt[/card]

1 [card]Liliana Vess[/card]

1 [card]Lagonna-Band Trailblazer[/card]

1 [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card]

1 [card]Hornet Queen[/card]

1 [card]Hall of Triumph[/card]

1 [card]Goblin Heelcutter[/card]

1 [card]Erase[/card]

1 [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card]***

1 [card]Dig Through Time[/card]

1 [card]Den Protector[/card]***

As you can see, there are numerous cards that have taken up homes in Standard decks at this event. [card]Deathmist Raptor[/card] and [card]Dragonlord Atarka[/card] were the only mythics to be seen at the Top 16 in the main decks, while [card]Dragonlord Ojutai[/card] and [card]Ojutai’s Exemplars[/card] were mythics that were played in sideboards.

Looking at the rares, the most played new rares from the set include [card]Thunderbreak Regent[/card], [card]Surrak, the Hunt Caller[/card], [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card], and [card]Atarka’s Command[/card]. [card]Zurgo Bellstriker[/card] was seen in mono-red decks, and [card]Den Protector[/card] and [card]Secure the Wastes[/card] had brief appearances. Someone tried to make [card]Collected Company[/card] work marginally by including two copies in a deck but there was no breakout Collected Company deck totally centered around the card.

Roast was the breakout uncommon of the set, with sixteen copies appearing across main decks and sideboards. [card]Anticipate[/card] and [card]Dragon Fodder[/card] were the breakout commons, as was probably expected since they are both efficient cards for their mana cost.

All in all, there were definitely some shakeups but nothing too crazy. No new archetypes were formed. However, existing ones got a few boosts from the new cards.

Star City Games Premier IQ – Modern (Richmond, USA)

Decklists

Deck Finish Player Deck Finish Player
Affinity 1st Joseph Greer Abzan Midrange 9th Patrick Older
Infect 2nd Michael Allen Jund 10th Van Nguyen
U/W Tron 3rd Mike Kenney U/R Twin 11th Will Benton
Grixis Control 4th Dave Shiels U/R Twin 12th Jason Bennett
Jeskai Control 5th Travis Perlee Abzan Midrange 13th Michael Derczo
Merfolk 6th John Taylor Affinity 14th Betrix Ryan
Merfolk 7th Brandon Frey Esper Control 15th Christopher Mahaffey
Zoo 8th Jeff Szablak Jund 16th Joseph Herrera

Things seem have to shaken up in Modern, at least in Richmond. Outside of the finalists, the decks are ones that usually don’t see Top 8 appearances.

U/W Tron is one that seems to breaking out recently. Notable cards from the deck include one [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card], four [card]Azorius Signet[/card], four [card]Gifts Ungiven[/card], and four [card]Thirst for Knowledge[/card]. This deck is interesting in that you can win with [card]Celestial Colonnade[/card] but also have a Gifts package to get whatever is needed at the moment. My suspicion is that this is a deck that you need to be intimately familiar with in order to pilot to success – there are several lines of play that this deck can go down, and knowing all of them takes a lot of practice. It’s good to see control being better in Modern, where just a month ago it seems that aggro, midrange, and combo were the only decks.

Speaking of which, another two control decks were in the Top 8. Grixis Control featured three [card]Tasigur, the Golden Fang[/card], two [card]Go for the Throat[/card], and a package of other counterspells and burn in order to control the game until you get a [card]Blood Moon[/card] or [card]Vedalken Shackles[/card] online. Jeskai Control featured [card]Gideon Jura[/card] as a wind condition along with [card]Anticipate[/card] from Dragons of Tarkir, a single [card]Logic Knot[/card], and splashing black for [card]Lingering Souls[/card] / [card]Mystical Teachings[/card] flashback.

Also, two Merfolk lists made the Top 8! Notables from Merfolk included [card]Master of Waves[/card], [card]Tidebinder Mage[/card], [card]Mutavault[/card], [card]Aether Vial[/card], and [card]Monastery Siege[/card] from Fate Reforged. Looks like Merfolk has really made ahem a splash in Modern now and we’ll be seeing it for some time to come since it is a pretty easy to pilot aggro/tempo deck.

Finally, [card]Collected Company[/card] made a nice debut in Modern Zoo, with the 8th place deck playing a full twenty-seven creatures and three [card]Collected Company[/card] to back them up. [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card] is back in business folks and it’s pretty sick to rip that and, say, [card]Tarmogoyf[/card] off the top of your deck at instant speed. [card]Kessig Wolf Run[/card] is a cute addition too, as it allows you to completely blow someone out if they’re not expecting it. [card]Bonfire of the Damned[/card] out of the sideboard is an interesting choice, I guess it helps against token strategies?

Rounding out the rest of the Top 16 were some run of the mill decks like Jund, Twin, and Abzan Midrange. Esper Control was the only outlier here. This deck had a full playset of [card]Monastery Mentor[/card], along with [card]Murderous Cut[/card], [card]Slaughter Pact[/card], [card]Thought Scour[/card], and Tasigur in order to help recur spells back. [card]Creeping Tar Pit[/card] is also a nice finisher in the deck. Despite both [card]Treasure Cruise[/card] and [card]Dig Through Time[/card] being banned in Modern, Delve still seems to be a thing.

Star City Games Premier IQ – Legacy (Richmond, USA)

Decklists

Deck Finish Player Deck Finish Player
Reanimator 1st Nick Patnode Temur Delver 9th Zack Kanner
Infect 2nd Tom Ross Lands 10th Micah Greenbaum
Miracles 3rd Shawn French Death and Taxes 11th Christopher Calhoun
Miracles 4th Brian Braun-Duin Dredge 12th Andrew Shrout
Death & Taxes 5th Jessie Butler Temur Delver 13th Stephen Mann
Elves 6th Ryan Hare Omni-Tell 14th Collins Mullen
Jeskai Delver 7th Thomas Trovato Lands 15th Brandon Dempsey
Shardless Sultai 8th Chi Hoi Yim Death & Taxes 16th Jacob Eckert

Like I’ve mentioned in the Invitational section, Legacy hasn’t been shaken up much from the Dragons of Tarkir release. Elves is playing [card]Ruric Thar, the Unbowed[/card] as a nice finisher against control decks. That’s about all the innovation I see in the lists here. Legacy is still pretty much Legacy, even after Dragons has hit the shelves.

Whew, guess that’s it for this week. Keep checking back weekly for all the action that happened the previous weekend that you may have missed!

About the Author
Jared is a longtime Magic player who has been slinging cardboard since Odyssey block (back when creatures came into play). He was introduced to the financial side of Magic during Return to Ravnica block and hasn't looked back since. He is a resident of the VA area located just outside of DC. His favorite MTG formats include Limited, Legacy, and Commander. Regardless of format, he prefers making creature tokens. You can follow him on Twitter: @gildedgoblin.

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